16th IACC

“To win the fight against corruption and promote social justice we must join forces and ensure that those who abuse their power do not get away with it.”

Education shapes the societies in which we live. It gives young minds form and shape, transmits vital knowledge and provides a unique opportunity to develop resistance against corruption and build commitment to integrity among the generation that will provide the leaders of the future. It is therefore essential that education services are not hindered and distorted by corruption. However, corruption acts as a dangerous barrier to high-quality education and social and economic development, including by jeopardising the academic benefits of higher education institutions. Corruption spans virtually every aspect of the operation of colleges and universities, from admissions to academics and research, financial management and hiring and promotion – but all too often, the perpetrators are getting away with it.

Reducing impunity for corruption in higher education can begin with simple but effective measures – as recent examples to design, adopt and monitor university ethical charters, codes of conducts and other approaches to exposing corrupt practices including academic fraud have shown. But to bring more integrity to higher education and help students to internalise values such as transparency and accountability, all concerned stakeholders need to be mobilised. The private sector in particular has a key role to play – as it relies on both the quality of research and the integrity of academic diplomas.

The session will discuss how the global community can promote tomorrow’s professionals in creating initiatives aimed at fighting impunity for corruption within higher education in order to create a merit-based level-playing field, and to strengthen the global fight against corruption by installing the values of transparency and integrity in future political and business leaders